1. Technical Field
The present invention is related generally to fasteners. More particularly, the invention is related to a fastener for securing two structural members to one another which are typically used in the framework of a house or other building. Specifically, the present invention is related to a fastener used to secure a truss to a wall structural member such as a wall stud.
2. Background Information
In the construction industry, it is common to use fasteners typically made of sheet metal for securing structural members to one another. In addition, there are various governmental standards or building codes which require certain structural members to be secured to one another in order to help guard against damage caused by seismic activity, hurricanes, tornados or other high velocity wind storms. One particular area of concern are the trusses used to support a roof. Fasteners are typically required to secure the truss to the wall stud or wall structural member to which the truss is mounted adjacent one of its ends.
One of the common fasteners in use for this purpose is shown in FIG. 1 and is manufactured and/or sold by the Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. under the name Simpson Strong-Tie®. This fastener has a very simple construction, and is formed of a single piece of sheet metal which is bent to form two flat vertical plates which are perpendicular to one another. The upper plate has holes formed therein through which nails are driven to secure the plate to a truss. The lower plate also has holes formed therein through which nails are driven to secure the fastener to the wall stud or other wall structural member. The two plates are joined at a vertical intersection. In essence, this fastener is essentially an angle iron formed from sheet metal with holes formed therein. Although this fastener works well for securing the truss to the wall, installation of the fastener has some drawbacks. These fasteners are invariably secured to the truss and wall stud either with a nail gun or the slower use of a hammer to pound the nails. In the former situation, particularly because the fastener is relatively small, the installer must hold the fastener in place with one hand just inches from the firing end of the nail gun, which the installer holds with the other hand. As will be readily appreciated, this presents a substantial potential danger to the hand holding the fastener. If a hammer is used, the installer must hold both the fastener and a nail in one hand while hammering with the other hand. This makes it difficult to properly position the fastener and is rather awkward as well. Thus, there is a need for an improved fastener for securing a truss to a structural wall member or stud.